Bar bands in Summit County: Trans, Gracia, reggae and nu-funk tunes

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Who: Smooth Money GestureWhen: TonightWhere: Alma's Only BarWhere'd the name come from? The original drummer referenced a newly built road in Alaska that made it easier to get around. He said, "That was a Smooth Money Gesture." Home base: Originally based out of Alaska, and now relocated to Nederland, COType of music: High-energy, improvisational rock. But that is a generalization. There are elements of funk, blues, jazz, Latin, calypso, bluegrass and reggae in every set we perform.If your music were a tangible item, what would it be, and why? A Rubik's Cube: Brightly colored, multi-sided, difficult to figure out, and will keep you entertained for hours.Why do people love ya? At our core, we are regular people who like to have fun, just like our fans, and it comes through in our performance.How do you keep it fresh? We're constantly adding new originals and new cover material, as well as changing existing songs. Many of our songs have predefined sections with parts that are always left for improvisation, but sometimes we take the predefined parts that have been set for years and change them as well.What's the craziest thing you've done/weirdest experience? All in one day, on our way to Utah: One of our curtains got sucked out of the window and the little magnet on the bottom of the curtain hit the window so hard that it shattered it. Then about an hour later a car blew a tire in the lane to the left of us and somehow ended up being face-to-face in the same lane sliding backwards while we're sliding forwards toward him. We're basically sliding with our brakes to the floor at 70 mph about to smash into each other. Luckily, he spun off the road at the last moment and everyone ended up being okay. 'Twas an odd day.

Who: High 5When: TonightWhere: For the Tim McClure Benefit at the Maggie in BreckenridgeWhere'd the name come from? When we formed, we were all living high in the mountains. We also thought it would be great to bring back the High 5 as a greeting. Everyone smiles when you get/give a High 5.Home base: Montezuma, COType of music: Although no show is ever the same, we play our own blend of funky-jazz-infused-trance-grass, consisting of mostly originals and a few selected covers each night. We have been jammin' in the county for over six years now. The band consists of Billy Merrill on guitar, keys and vocals, Jay Davis on drums, Levi Corrigan on guitar and vocals, and Dan Brewer on bass and vocals.If your music were a tangible item, what would it be, and why? A hula-hoop: Round and round, the fun never ends, and if it does, you just pick it up and start again.Why do people love ya? We bring a fun, high-energy, experimental vibe with us everywhere we go, making each night a unique experience.How do you keep it fresh? Along with frequent additions of new material, we allow space for improvisational jams in multiple songs a night, leaving ourselves open for anything to happen. It doesn't always work out like we expect, but it's always fun!What's the craziest thing you've done/weirdest experience? Our first tour was in Arizona, and every night was a new adventure, from music, to camping and recreation.

Who: The Mighty High BandWhen: SaturdayWhere: three20south, BreckenridgeWhere'd the name come from? The song "Mighty High" by The Mighty Clouds of Joy. This song was covered by Jerry Garcia in the Jerry Garcia Band.Home base: DenverWho are you? We are a Jerry Garcia Tribute Act. We focus on all the music Jerry played outside of the Grateful Dead. His other bands played a lot of cover material, so if you didn't know we were a tribute to Jerry, you wouldn't know. He played (and therefore, we play) classic R&B, reggae, blues, Motown and rock songs. We please all types of crowds, from the hard-core Deadheads to anyone who wants to go out for a fun evening of dancing.If your music were a tangible item, what would it be, and why? A watermelon because it can be heavy, but inside it is just luscious sweetness that can't be matched by any substitute.Why do people love ya? Because we bring the energy to the show! You can't stop dancing once we get started! And we give away free stickers!How do you keep it fresh? We are always working on learning new songs based on Jerry's side project's catalogs, and sometimes we'll mix the tunes up a little and add a longer jam section to a song if the crowd is feeling the groove.What's the craziest thing you've done/weirdest experience? We once played a show in 3-D. We even supplied the 3-D glasses.

Who: Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty BandWhen: Saturday at The Goat Soup & Whiskey Tavern in Keystone and Tuesday at three20south in BreckenridgeHome base: Asheville, N.C.Type of music: Nu-Funk is the genre of music that we play. The Booty Band mixes elements of ol' school funk with rock, electronica, jazz, hip-hop, Latin, or pretty much whatever we feel like throwing in the mix to keep people dancing.If your music were a tangible item, what would it be, and why? An old pair of sneakers; we might be funky, but we feel real good!Why do people love ya? The music that we play is high-energy dance music. People come out to our shows and cut loose on the dance floor like they've never done before. It is a very liberating experience.How do you keep it fresh? Whenever we have a day off from the road, we usually get together and write some new music. With six musicians throwing around ideas like they're going outta style, there's definitely no lack of material. We feel that we are writing songs that are unique, and we have a lot of fun during that process.What's the craziest thing you've done/weirdest experience? We used to play a song that made everyone take their clothes off and sometimes jump on stage or get up on the bar. Those were some fun times!